The present invention relates to self-adhering bandages used to improve the grip control for fingers and the protection of sensitive skin on the fingers while using sports equipment or hand tools.
The game of golf has been known as a strenuous exercise which uses only certain portions of the fingers from both hands to control the accuracy of a swing. Improvements for better grip control in the area of either the golf club grip or golf glove have been attempted in the past. They can be found in prior art patent disclosures shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. Minami 5,322,290, Hiraoka 5,482,993, Huang 5,571,051 and Fortis 5,637,043 for golf club grips and in U.S. Pat. Nos. Masstab 3,532,344, Joh 5,423,089 and Ville 5,634,214 for golf gloves.
During a golf game, gloves are generally used to protect sensitive skin on the hand while the improved golf club grips made of high friction materials are intended to provide nonslip capabilities to assist golfers achieve a solid and firm grip of the club. However, even with the gloves on, golfers still have calluses formed on the fingers because the conventional golf glove provides very little cushion for the fingers.
Many amateur golfers, using the improved non-slip golf club grips, still have problems controlling their swings. This problem is further complicated by the moisture from the perspiration of the hands during the play of golf which creates slippage between the hand and the golf club grip.
Most beginner golfers hold the golf club too tight and improperly. Consequently, they tend to lose control of their swing. In addition, calluses or even blisters can occur because the surface of the golf club grips currently available in the market, especially those made of high friction materials, is rough on the fingers. Many golf club houses offer bandages, such as Band-Aid.RTM. from Johnson and Johnson, for those golfers having callus or blister problems. Such bandages typically comprise a thin rectangular adhesive strip, made of synthetic material or cloth, with a small thin gauze pad positioned in and adhered to the center of the adhesive strip. Due to the nature of this type of bandage, the small thin gauze pad provides little cushion for the palm-side skin of the fingers, and the sticky adhesive material causes an unpleasant and uncomfortable feeling during a golf swing. Oftentimes, these bandages become out of shape after a few swings. To worsen the problem, moisture from the perspiration of the hands causes the golf club grip to become slippery.
These problems as described above are not unique with golfers or golf equipment. They are also common problems encountered while engaging in other sport activities or using hand tools. Therefore, the object of the present invention is not to be limited to the area of golf games or equipment.